


Coming Storm

by Fenris30



Series: Reticent Watcher [9]
Category: Tekken
Genre: Action, Erotic Action, Erotica, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fights, Lemon, Oral Sex, Rimming, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Tekken - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:56:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5233118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenris30/pseuds/Fenris30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Currently in New York City, Lili continues her training path to eventually take over Rochefort Enterprises; she also continues her very under-the-radar relationship with her bodyguard, friend and lover Sergei Dragunov. She thought she would get away without any real action...but it seems that action and some sort of problems follow these two no matter where they go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter has some graphic violence in it-so just giving a heads up there. You all know to expect smut and more smut, but I'll continue to give a brief violence warning if it's the nastier variety.

Two weeks had passed since their arrival, and Lili had settled into her new routine rather nicely; she enjoyed it much more than the last time since she was more proactive. She liked her position; she didn't have to dress in as stuffy a manner as the other suits, for one. She could wear her own fashions as she pleased. She was technically an intern-but being the daughter of the CEO and the company's heiress, she had a lot more pull.

She did not abuse her position, though. Oh, sure, she occasionally got herself some better food and drinks and got a full espresso maker installed in the office next door to one of the major boardrooms but she put paid to the skepticism that she would just be a spoiled brat throwing her weight around. She cared about the company-especially since it had gone through trying times in the past-and wanted to see it thrive.

She was a _little_ spoiled, perhaps, but not a brat.

There had been no incidents so far. _Only two weeks in,_ she thought. _Anything can happen._ While she liked excitement, she felt that this summer could be one of more laid-back activities...among other ones.

She was finished for the day. It was around three, but given her position as an intern, she did not have to work a full day there. It was part studies, so she would have to do a few odds and ends in the evening. Checking the weather, it would be sunny today with some storms rolling in later on. She could use this afternoon to mill about some department stores. She had not done that in a few days, and she thought her wardrobe was wanting for a few more pieces that she could play with.

She called for the limo as she left the office, taking her small bag with her. Sergei waited outside the door, in full 'bodyguard mode.' On his upper body, besides his tank top, he wore his thin Kevlar vest; Mr. Rochefort insisted that he wear a little protection, just in case. For his own safety, since he heard about some of the injuries he had sustained. She could see the holster for his handgun peeking out. She had fired it before.

_That's something we haven't done for awhile. Maybe after shopping, if I can sneak out._

He bowed to her, walking next to her as they left the building. She looked up at Sergei and smirked as they stepped into the limo.

“Lunch, then shopping,” she told the driver, Alain. He nodded. Sergei smirked as he helped her in.

_Why does this amuse me so much...?_

 

–

 

Lili was looking over some documents when she saw Sergei enter the other room. The look on his face was rather unhappy. She blinked, spinning her chair around as she heard the door to one of the several guest rooms shut.

_What was that about?_

She tried to concentrate, but couldn't. She always got a little concerned on the odd time she saw him look a bit riled; it was not like him. She decided to go into the kitchen to put on coffee and order some snacks; they had made some lovely small chocolate cakes for dinner and she wouldn't mind having an extra one of them, some coffee, and some Irish Creme. Perhaps Sergei would calm down a little with it.

About an hour passed, her servants bringing her all she requested and then some. She sat down, starting to enjoy the snack...but became a bit nervous. Sergei had not come out of the downstairs room yet. She knew that if something was going on with the company, he'd have let her know.

He eventually came back up, though he looked fairly calm. Lili had moved to the couch with another cup, curled up with her laptop, surfing around various things. She looked up at him as he walked over. He crouched down, kissing her lightly.

“I need to go out for awhile.”

“Is everything...”

He nodded. “It's...confidential.”

Lili understood. There were things with the military that he could not even tell her. He probably told her more than he _should_ , truth be told; but one never knew what sort of ears were hiding behind walls. She knew if he didn't say anything, it was for a damn good reason. “It's okay,” she said. She kissed him as well. He returned it, stroking her down the face once as he went to apparently go gather up some equipment.

 _I hope he's alright,_ she thought. _Well...it's Sergei. Of course he'll be._

It didn't stop her from wondering, though.

 

–

 

Sergei went to his downstairs room to gather up a few of his things. He had a bit of a trip to take. Within the city, to be sure, but it was a bit of a ways out. He would have to drive himself; he could not risk the limo for this. He did not want to endanger anyone in the Rocheforts' household.

He grabbed his sleeveless, Kevlar shirt along with his slim tactical vest-he slid his knife into it. He holstered his GSh-18, arranging all of his gear. He also brought along his GPS and a few other odds and ends, ensuring he had a way to contact headquarters.

He had gotten word from a contact close to the military that a longtime enemy had surfaced again...and they were right here in New York City about to meet with an unknown group of contacts. It was not surprising they would be here. Huge cities were ripe for finding organized crime if you knew where to look-and they knew where to look.

He was told by one of his superiors to go check the general area they had gotten information on. They did not give him other orders, but he read between the lines and knew that he could deal with them if necessary.

Naturally, Sergei had his own plans when it came to this.

Finished his preparation, he grabbed his keys and quietly left through the back to the garage, getting into his jeep. Thanks to it having been in their private parking garage in the shade, it was not terribly hot inside, though it was stuffier than he would have liked. The air conditioning took care of that.

Checking the GPS, he plugged in the coordinates, turned the vehicle on, and drove out. It was dusk, and he could find a good place to hang out, still in communication with his superior.

_They will be in for a rude surprise if they're here..._

 

–

 

Sergei eventually reached his destination. He got out of the jeep, locking it up. He decided to send a few messages to his superior, letting him know he was in the general area. His plan was to poke around a few shops, before winding his way to the apparent place. He was to then lay low and listen in to what he could...and then determine the best course of action. Everything would likely take him awhile; he suspected he would not be back until quite late.

He also figured he cut a bit of an odd figure compared to the other odd person he ran into. While there were people still milling about, as it was only about eight and they were in New York, the six-and-a-half foot tall, ghostly pale man was not exactly...covert.

The actual place he had to stake out was, naturally, not in the center. It was more off to the dock area; in other words, a place that any normal person would be a little wary to go after dark unless they were with a group. He would walk, as it would give him the that he needed. The area was about perfect to deal with illicit shipments-many an illegal or shady item came in mixed up with legit stuff. Most of the workers did not even know about it; but then again many an ordinary person had no clue about the shadowy underworld, some of which could be right under their noses.

He figured they were better off _not_ knowing, as people who knew too much could end up in rather unhealthy positions.

He wiped some sweat from his brow; as he got closer to the harbor, the smells changed from the not-unpleasant city smells of various restaurants and the like, to the more stagnant and damp smells of the docks and the rather dirty water they sat near. He suspected, from the clouds rolling in, there would soon be drizzle; he wouldn't mind it so much. The lights flickered a bit more around here-it was clear the harbor area was left in a bit more of a state of decay.

He suspected he had been walking for close to an hour now, and there was literally no one around. There probably wouldn't be until five or so in the morning, when they opened again. He took went over to one of the building's corners and removed his night-vision binoculars; scanning the area, he saw no one yet, and double checked the coordinates. He was in the right place.

He also scoped out potential escape routes...preferably discreet ones. He had a feeling he would have to end up using them. He also was formulating a few backup plans. Besides his brutality and skill, he was also prized for being able to plan out tactics rather quickly in his head. It came in extremely handy for on-the-fly missions and sudden situations.

He decided to simply quietly wander an area until he saw some activity. Finally, a single car pulled around the other side; it clearly didn't see him back where he was. Taking out his binoculars, he zoomed in, seeing two men wearing leather coats wander into one of the warehouses.

_No doubt picking up a shipment..._

He had no high-end surveillance equipment with him; he had let his superior know, as no one had anticipated this. His superiors may have known, but kept things covert until they knew for security purposes. He had no idea; it was not his place to ask. But his binoculars, a phone camera and his own ears would be enough to send them what they wanted.

He had his bare hands, as well as a couple of weapons if need be.

More time passed before he heard noises; he crept closer to where they were coming from. It sounded like a heavy vehicle-perhaps a van-pulling up, along with voices after it parked. Given the gravel on the ground, it was louder than it otherwise would have been. He heard perhaps two men get out and walk over to one of the doors.

Sergei moved over some more, getting close enough to hear voices. They seemed to be speaking English, though he could not work out everything they said. He did feel they had Russian accents-he would know. The men who opened the door did not have them; they sounded American. He didn't know how many there were, or how many were in there; but given the bits he heard, there was indeed an arms deal going down.

He decided after a few moments of thought-after they went inside-to perhaps put a stop to it.

Running inside armed with only a pistol and wearing a flak vest would be suicide most likely; they probably had assault weapons on hand, and while he was extremely fast for a man of his size, he couldn't dodge a volley of automatic fire. So...he would do what he did best.

He walked up to the side of the warehouse, learning against it and lighting a cigarette. He smoked quietly there for a few moments. After a few moments, the muffled sounds from the inside began to quiet down.

While he smoked, he felt his phone vibrate; he had sent the pictures he managed to take over to his superiors who could utilize face-recognition software. Apparently these men were not the highest ranked, but one of them was had some pull. Sergei figured the men with the real pull were somewhere else; likely safer and more lavish. But these lower-level guys were bad news-they were the type who would do almost anything to climb up in the organization-including nasty stuff like kidnapping, murder, and other pleasant things.

He decided he would try to corner and interrogate one or two. It seemed to be the best bet at this moment.

Sergei had kicked out his second cigarette before he heard the voices start to discuss a few things he recognized. He listened closely. Besides drop-off points and meeting points, there was also discussions of assassinations and Interpol. This tripped an internal alarm with him, as one of the very, very few people he could call somewhat of a friend was in Interpol.

He decided the interrogation idea was a sound one. Remembering one of the alleys near the harbor having a desolate looking warehouse near it, he decided that would be the best bet. Quickly kicking his cigarette butts into view, he walked off toward the general area...making no move to conceal his tracks.

Then, he would wait.

 

–

 

Lili had fallen asleep for some time; more of a late nap, really. She slept odd hours in the summer.

She wondered what was up with Sergei. She didn't worry about him too badly; after all, she knew what he was capable of. She was more curious onto what the hell everything was about. She wondered if he could even tell her....or if she could do anything to help him.

She liked to return favors, after all.

She looked over at the room's phone and decided she wanted a snack. She had been a bit hungry this night, as she did not get to eat too much during the day. While she was not a particularly heavy eater, she was a young, active woman. She called down, ordering some of her favorites.

It was sort of like having room service on demand. _I must remind myself never to give this life up,_ she thought.

She looked out the window over the city. New York's massive skyscrapers dotted the landscape; still lit up, as most corporate and business headquarters, she knew, could work into the night. Rochefort Enterprises had plenty of night-shift folks, as they had dealings all around the world, and time zones did differ, after all. She felt powerful standing up here, looking down; she was set to inherit a massive company, she could steal off to fighting tournaments anytime she wanted for some amusement, and she would likely have the best bodyguard in the world.

She smirked as she heard the knock at the door. She turned to walk over, absently hoping that Sergei would be in soon.

 

–

 

It was close to midnight. Sergei had gone through a couple more cigarettes, and he heard alarmed voices come up. He knew they saw the tracks he had purposefully left behind. He hoped they could come along quietly when they met up. He wanted to give his superiors some good information, as he always tried to do his job to the best of his ability.

He went around a few of the shipping containers and headed toward the collection of buildings on the further west side of the harbor; the air was so dense with humidity that he was thankful he had no breathing problems. He wiped some sweat from his brow and looked up; the cloud cover was intense; no stars at all could be seen. He was lucky there were series of lights around the area, or else he would have had to get around with his night vision equipment only.

Reaching one of the doors, he decided to stand by it, waiting. He wanted them to come to him. He knew there were ways to get through to the alley behind; it was a dead end, but one could go through the buildings.

Two men finally arrived; they seemed startled to see the huge man there. Sergei stood straight, getting a commanding presence and folding his arms when they arrived. The men shrunk back slightly when he did this; he sort of figured they thought they'd be dealing with a straggler, easily bullied or silenced.

“I have questions,” he started. As usual, he did not beat around the bush.

The man on the left swallowed hard; for just a moment-he seemed that he was going to comply. But his partner panicked; he tugged his large-bore firearm from his jacket, shakily trying to straighten it. Sergei did not give him the chance-he grabbed his head in both hands, slamming it once into his knee smashing in his nose in a spray of blood, before twisting his head and dropping him. He turned toward the other man; giving him a chance-but he had dug a long knife out of his coat and looked ready to fight.

 _You had your chance,_ he thought. Sergei had even given him a chance right after killing the other-normally, in a combat situation, he would have gone right into attacking. He could tell by the look in his eyes this was a man that would not be taken alive.

He dodged two slashes, a third hitting home on his arm, though not too deep; the man managed to smack him in the nose with the butt of the knife, bloodying it. Sergei glared and came in with an elbow to the chest which cracked his sternum; he could tell by the feel and the way he spit blood and gasp for air. He followed with two kicks to the jaw that both shattered it...breaking his neck, too, by the sound as he hit the wall. Blood sprayed wide from that one.

_For once, I would have liked to have avoided this..._

He heard the others that had gone through-he guessed two or three by the footsteps.

Sergei walked into the alley the men had walked into through the warehouses. The men did not have weapons out, though he suspected that they were concealed. He knew more were around the corner, but he had them separated enough. He figured that perhaps the fate of the first two would make them more willing to negotiate, criminal syndicate or no.

“Come with me,” he said.

He had the blood of the first two men spattered on him; no doubt it was running into the gutters in the alley behind him. He knew the other two would be waiting down the other end...which happened to be a dead end.

Indeed, he had planned for it. He only made them think _t_ _hey_ were ambushing _him_. He cracked his bloodied knuckles, still unhappy with this turn of events. Sweat dripped down the side of his face; even this late, it was around ninety degrees in the city. The stench of blood and old water in the drainage pipes filled his nostrils...but he had dealt with much worse.

When the men saw Sergei, they realized _he_ was the one in charge..and they realized it far too late. Still, he had to give the men credit they tried.

One of them closed in, fumbling with a pistol; another drew a long knife; a good, penetrating stab could have easily went through his lung, though his tactical vest offered some protection.

Sergei went low, sweeping down the man with the handgun; he landed on his back with a _thump_ , knocking the wind out of him. As the man closed in with the knife, Sergei managed to catch him. He snapped the arm holding the knife like a twig as the man screamed; he followed with a knee to the stomach hard enough for him to spit blood. He then grabbed his face in his huge hand, and holding onto his other shoulder twisted his head around violently, breaking his neck.

He glared down at the man on the ground, who slid backward as he tried to fumble with his pistol before looking up at him with a rather terrified expression. Sergei took two steps-still holding the dead man by the face-before performing a usual coup d' grace against grounded opponents; slamming his giant boot down onto his head with immense strength. It was fast, it was _d_ _evastatingly_ effective, and the bloody remains it left behind tended to send a _pretty goddamn clear_ message of what would await anyone should they decide tangling with the White Angel of Death or anyone actually associated with him would be a good idea.

The last man who was hiding in one of the buildings where he had come from originally heard the sickening sound of of partner's skull being smashed in; he quickly decided that maybe this Dragunov guy was bad news and slipped away. No amount of pay was worth getting brained in an alley. 

Sergei waited until the corpses' twitching stopped-ensuring he was dead-before he stepped off, dropping the other body. He then began to search them for clues. Blood from the grounded man's shattered skull ran everywhere; he would absolutely have to call in a favor for this one. He reminded himself to turn the corpse over before he left so whoever came in didn't have to look at what was left of the man's face when they first arrived. Not that they'd have any doubt onto what happened given the shape of his skull. 

He would take anything of interest before leaving to back to the condo, where he could spend some time with the _true_ reason he took this job.

He wondered what was going on here, though. He had his suspicions.

The military had dealt with a long-broken off mercenary unit; they had formed, Sergei recalled, before he was even twenty. They went by the name of “ They had been going now for nearly a decade; a sort of organized crime ring, who, through old ties and knowledge, still managed to occasionally pinch various arms; it was what they mostly dealt with. They had expanded more and more, and they were an Interpol target, even. What they were doing in New York City he did not know-but now that he was here, he knew he would have to deal with them.

He had to deal with them many times over the years. They would occasionally go back more underground, or keep their dealings more out of reach of the Russian military, which mostly left things to Interpol. However, with Sergei stationed over here for now-he could likely let them know

New York City, with a fairly strong corporate presence these days, tended toward a bit different in terms of law than it was previously. One mostly dealt with them rather than small law enforcement. He would indeed tell his superiors to get him some clearance...as well as get this mess taken care of.

Checking his GPS, he planned on laying low somewhere else for awhile in case they tried to follow him; he did not want to endanger Lili or anyone in the Rochefort's household. He figured the worst was over...for this night, anyway. He suspected within an hour or two he could make his way back to the condo.

The rumble of thunder in the distance told him that nature would likely wash away some of the remains in the alley. He sent a message to his contacts before starting to head toward a place where he could lay low without involving Lili. This was something that he did not need to drag her into.

_This is my problem._

 

–

 

Lili looked up from her book as she read at the table; Sergei, she could tell, had been through some hell this night. She quickly closed the book, standing to walk over to him. She could see he was only lightly wounded, but there were likely several dead men somewhere.

“...What happened?” She skipped right to the point.

He nodded to the shower. “I'll explain after.”

“Is it...anything with us?”

He shook his head. “This is my problem. Or our problem.”

“I'll make coffee. Vodka?”

He nodded, sparing her a smirk. Sergei was not shaken up by any of this, she knew. He walked off silently to the shower as she set everything up for him. She thought to herself what could have happened.

 _Did enemies follow him here? His problem he said. Old enemies. Enemies of the Russian military?_ She knew that New York City, along with other massive cities around the world, naturally, in this day and age, held a vast criminal underworld. She was quite sure she knew a few members of the Yakuza, from a trip to Japan, though neither she nor they said anything, so she wasn't sure.

She heard Sergei come out, down to a clean part of cargos. He tossed some of the other stuff aside; she knew he would clean that himself. He did not want to subject any of her household to cleaning some of his frightfully bloody clothing.

He sat, pouring a fair bit of vodka into his coffee and lighting a cigarette. He touched her under the chin.

“It is a criminal syndicate, formed from old members of the Russian military, and it picks up others from other European branches as well. Arms dealers, mostly. Wanted by Interpol as well. We've fought them before. New York is not unknown for them. Given that we had to deal with them somewhat before this job, I am not surprised this happened, though I hoped it would not.”

Lili blinked, wondering if he was using up his words for the week again with this. She had joked to him before about it. “They...probably let you take this job...”

“...Not only for the money. They had a feeling they would be here.”

She snorted laughter. “At least we're paying you well.”

He smiled at that. “They are difficult. They have been around since before I was twenty. Lots of cells, and cut off one head...”

She nodded. Sipping her own drink-she added a little vodka to hers as well to wind down-she sat back to look over him. “If you need resources...” she smiled.

“I don't want to get you involved. Besides, I can get what I need.”

Lili just folded her arms. “It could come in handy.”

Sergei smirked. “There could be some...off the record things I can do.” He did his duty. He didn't go against his superiors...but he _also_ was not against doing things to do said duty to the best of his ability. It went unspoken among his superiors that this was an aspect they actually _liked_ about him, since it did get things done.

“I'm not asking you to tell me classified info. I'm just offering some of our resources for you to use if it would help you.”

“I have a contact in Interpol, as well.”

 _He knows more people than he lets on._ “Why am I not surprised?” She laughed. “Of course you do. I imagine it's easier to do...certain things with a few contacts there.”

“Just one...but yes. You are correct.”

 _He still speaks quite proper around me,_ she thought absently. She found it sort of cute.

“Reports tonight?” Lili asked.

Sergei nodded. “I also think...”

She nodded. “Best to probably keep up appearances.” Sergei had several places he could stay on the multiple floors. Sometimes he stayed closer than others. It was good, they felt, for him to not spend all of his time too close to her, just in case.

“Tomorrow, then.” He stood. He leaned in to kiss her. It was quite deep...and they found it lasted a long time. After a harsh day, Sergei found he would look forward to this.

Lili, even after two years, still never thought she would be in the arms of someone who about three hours before likely killed several men, but there she was.

For needing to send reports, Sergei certainly took his time getting back to his quarters.

Not that she ever minded.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“So...even you can't resist the smells, can you?” Lili chuckled.

Sergei shrugged, smirking.

It was quite early, Lili wanting to relax in a somewhat awakened state in the morning before she left for the office, so she decided to not sleep in too long. She had ordered breakfast, and after one of the butlers rolled in the large tray-no doubt for more than one person, as they knew her bodyguard was often close by-Sergei quickly arrived.

_Well, what do you expect? He's huge. He eats for three of you practically._

For all of his stoic and frightening nature, Sergei could not resist a giant breakfast these days. He grew quite accustomed to these after his time at the Rocheforts' manor. Usually living a life where his food was from the mess hall, some form of field rations, things he hunted himself cooked over a fire, or the occasional thing he'd make for himself-usually fairly simple and traditional-this was a thing he grew to appreciate. It wasn't that military food wasn't filling-quite the opposite, it had to be. But it was generally bland and utilitarian.

He sat down at the table, bringing out a few of his things to look over. Lili noticed he still kept a lot of his information in traditional ways; notebooks and the like. You can't hack them, after all. He of course used technology and a lot of it, but he was always prepared with a backup.

“With my father this afternoon?” she asked.

“Not today.”

She smiled at that. _It's about time. We've both been somewhat busy._

With the recent situation of the criminal syndicate rearing it's head, Sergei ended up pulling double time. He did it without complaint, though.

“We haven't gone to the range in awhile.”

“We can do that.” He thought she should get to go more often than she did; a firearm was something you needed to keep fairly sharp with. He knew she got her regular training in easily, but she had to keep her shooting practice quite under the radar.

She stood, touching him under the chin, much as he often did to her. “I'll see you in the afternoon, then.” She had half a day; her typical weekly schedule were two full-time days, and three half-days. She usually used the other half of one of these days to do some paperwork and other things for the internship; after that, she was free. She couldn't believe in another three or so years she would have the degree...and probably the company by her mid to late twenties.

He smirked at her, hoping this day would allow him to do a few things that he wanted.

 

–

 

There was a soft snoring coming from the downstairs couch as Lili walked in that afternoon, glad to be in out of the heat. She walked down quietly, having an idea what-or who-it was.

Sergei was on the couch, one arm behind his head. He was not even undressed; he even still had his boots on. Lili figured he must have been tired indeed; Sergei rarely napped during the day. She actually wondered if he slept at all the night before, or how much he did.

She figured she'd let him sleep for awhile, but she felt like hanging out down there, at least. She quietly dropped her things back upstairs, and then grabbed her laptop-the keys were silent so she didn't worry-and lay down on the bed. She smiled at the fact he decided the couch was more interesting to nap on apparently.

After a bit of time, she heard him stir once or twice, but he stayed asleep. When she took another look...she noticed something _else_ happening with him...namely, below the waist. She grinned.

_Wonder if he's having a dream of sorts..._

She wondered if he even had dreams. She figured of course he did-he was human like anyone else. No matter how brutal he could be, no matter if he went through strange testing from the military-he was born of two people like anyone else. Perhaps he didn't remember them...she didn't know.

But that was something for another time. She tried to go back to what she was doing...but she was distracted. There was something she just _had_ to know.

She wondered just how he would react to a certain...act...if he was woken up by it.

She chuckled to herself as she slid off the bed.

 _Am I actually considering this?_ She was surprising even herself. She had instigated sex with him plenty of times, but never like _this._ Sure, they were spontaneous at times, and he had surprised her with oral sex more than once; never while she was asleep, but out of nowhere. She remembered how good it always felt.

_He wouldn't mind. I know he wouldn't._

Lili, using what stealth skills she had-she had a very light step to her that admittedly impressed even Sergei sometimes, as he had noticed the times she had snuck around the manor-slid over to the couch, sitting next to it...at just around Sergei's waist. He did not stir; so far, so good. She silently giggled, wondered what the hell had come over her at this moment.

She gave things some time. She knew if she woke him up it wouldn't matter at all, but this was something she simply wanted to try.

She gently slid her light hand over, deftly undoing all of the buttons first. He was not wearing a belt; he usually didn't around the house. She decided to do them all at once, quickly. Chuckling to herself, he stirred a moment but then exhaled; he was _quite_ out of it.

Sadly, he was not 'going commando' as he normally did around the house with her; he had been out already, after all. He had just stripped his shirt off, but had left the rest of his clothing-sans his belt-on. She had to gently release his member-which was incredibly hard at the moment-from his underwear, which were more of the fitted style. He had to keep himself well-adjusted for battle, after all.

 _That was easier than I thought it would be,_ she thought. He was still sleeping. Not waiting to be undone, she began to stroke it gently as he started to moan in his sleep; she then took the tip in her mouth and lightly began to tease it with her lips and tongue.

He stirred, moaning out as he pushed himself up somewhat, his eyes heavy. He looked down, sucking in his breath for a moment...and seeing Lili. She looked up at him a second before taking him deep, focusing fully on pleasuring him now.

She smiled to herself as she felt him chuckle and grab her hair. He moaned low; he was still not loud, even through this...but she noticed that he was moaning a bit more often this time around. She sort of hoped her little surprise had something to do with that.

She tasted a bit of saltiness on her tongue already; judging by how hard he was when she started she knew it wouldn't take long-and she didn't even need it to. She just wanted to surprise him with a bit of pleasure...she felt he deserved it and she liked doing it anyway. Her hand traced his muscular stomach and down the huge legs that she loved. She repositioned slightly to tease him a little underneath with flicks of her tongue; he let out a louder, short grunt at that. His hand gently ran through her hair as she worked.

Sergei quite enjoyed his little surprise here; he couldn't lie to himself. Later on he would be quite impressed with how quiet she managed to stay. He leaned his head back and allowed her to work; the tiny smile he could see on her face made it even better for him.

She sucked harder, teasing him with her finger from behind; this caused him to grunt a bit harder. It amused her that whenever she would do this it would seemingly take him by surprise. She didn't do it often...but when she did, his reaction always made her happy.

Feeling him tense, she knew he would come; she sucked faster, flicking her tongue right on the tip as she knew he loved until he rubbed her shoulder a bit more roughly as he came with a low moan. She sucked and swallowed, continuing on until she knew he was completely finished.

She pulled back, licking her lips. She smiled up at him as she sat back, raising her eyebrows.

He looked over at her as he repositioned on the couch, chuckling softly. He touched under her chin.

“You were quiet,” was all he could think to say.

She laughed. “You taught me well.”

He sat up, pushing back some of her hair as he kissed her deeply. He felt incredibly good, as her little surprise felt rather incredible. He had been a bit concerned with everything that had been going on, but she managed to take care of that feeling rather well. Sergei did not stress about things, he simply had a lot on his plate that had kept his mind busy at night.

“I'll be back,” he said. He was clearly going to clean up.

It didn't take him too long; Lili was sitting down to a snack she had called downstairs for-after cleaning up any potential 'issues' from the couch area. They were not on the same floor that the servants brought the food, so things were fine; however Lili never took chances. It was still something she would love to not have to explain anytime soon.

“About the range...” he started.

“I thought you'd never ask.” She smiled, finishing her snack.

Sergei watched her get ready, feeling just a little more content than he had in awhile.

 

–

 

The range they had found was quite far away; as usual they sort of wanted to keep her shooting undercover. They simply paid for one of the more expensive taxi services instead of the limo. It was of no matter to Lili, though she did favor the limo a bit more.

Sergei stood back as he always did, watching her finish off the last clip of the day; she had gotten much better. She had even practiced with one of the longarms today, though it was only a .22. She was not too into the heavy caliber guns yet.

She smirked, breaking the gun down as he taught her before; she forgot a couple of things which he reminded her about. They had spent perhaps an hour there. While she packed, Sergei received a phone call. He nodded to her, saying he had to take it. He stepped outside and simply waited for her to follow him out.

 _Wonder what it is,_ Lili thought. _Hope it's nothing too serious right now._

He had finished by the time she got out; the range was downstairs and through several security checks; they were very tight since they had some rather large and impressive guns down there. Sergei had fired some of them, she reckoned for fun. She looked up at him questioningly.

“Lars,” he said.

“Oh! How is he?”

“Fine. He has an ear to the ground over in Europe for me.”

“Called in a favor again?”

He nodded, chuckling. “At this rate I will owe him soon.”

“You can't be in three places at once, as amazing as you are.”

He smiled gently at that. She coughed, forgetting that they were standing in public, though no one was around to have heard that. _I forget myself from time to time. I can't treat this as a relationship. Especially not in public._

“I also left word for my Interpol contact to get in touch when he can. I imagine he's on a job, though.”

“Who is it?”

“Can't say yet. Just in case.”

“I understand.” Lili was used to getting her way in many things, but she knew when it came to some of his operations that it was a different story, and she never tried to press the matter. “Food, and then back home? I need to do a few things on my laptop. I wouldn't mind working from a cafe today.” She got a bit of the “Rich girl ordering her bodyguard around” feel to her at this moment. Maybe to keep up appearances.

He nodded, calling the expensive taxi service for her and everything. Luckily he was not forced to talk too much, as most of it was done through automation this day and age.

 _The wonders of technology,_ she thought with a chuckle as she checked her watch. She figured it would not take her too long to finish, then she had the rest of the evening at home.

_It seems that I call anywhere 'home' these days._

 

–

 

The evening seemed to be shaping up to be fairly calm. She had a good day, all told. Sergei looked fairly content, as well. He was finishing a glass of whiskey-a little different than his usual vodka-and looking through a book he had brought in. He watched her walk by, looking her up and down and thinking about what she did for him today...and he smiled.

He decided to return the favor.

He came up to her from behind, kissing her neck several times before nipping at it. Lili shook at this after a pleasured yelp; he continued to kiss her, slowly, allowing his tongue to stroke her skin slightly. He picked her up, bringing her over to the bed to lay her down; he quickly undid her short skirt and tugged away her underwear. He nuzzled her stomach a few moments before crouching down, his hand running up and down her side.

Lili giggled, unable to stop. _Well this was sudden..._

Sergei kissed her stomach from his position; Lili squealed, knowing what he was going for. He looked up at her, giving her that somewhat teasing look he would get...it almost was asking her if she thought he wasn't going to try to return the favor from this afternoon.

He traced his tongue slowly down to her mound, taking his time there to tease it for awhile; this time, he teased it a little longer than what he usually would. For just a few seconds he opened her gently with his thumb, allowing the tip of his tongue to trace around her folds and even her clit for a few moments before he pulled back to kiss above her again.

Lili groaned; he was being _such_ a tease right now, though she supposed she deserved it for waking him up today. She was smiling, though-and when she looked down at him, so was he.

Sergei decided to stop with the incessant teasing for now; he settled between her legs, kneeling off the bed to give himself better access, and after lightly stroking her center with his tongue for awhile he pressed close to her, opening his mouth to begin pleasuring her in earnest. She gasped out, her legs giving him a little squeeze.

It was clear that he wasn't trying to rush, though he more or less just wanted to pleasure her for a little while before she had to do whatever it was she had to do; Sergei did have things he had to do tonight as well, but they had only been back in each others' company for two weeks now...and of course, not all of the time. For one, they had their own duties, two, they did have to hide it, and three-they did like their own space, as well.

But they had been a bit wanting for each other this time, so they indulged when they could.

Lili held onto the back of his head as she thrust her hips; she heard his breathing grow slightly heavier as he continued to lick all around her. He held her thighs, massaging them. She loved how his huge hands felt on her; he was rough enough that it just turned her on more, but he always knew how far to go.

Swallowing what had come from her so far-she was very wet-he continued to suck at her clit, sometimes rubbing the tip of his tongue against it until she would squirm. He pulled back for a few just to tease her a little more with light strokes before he finished; his mouth was wet already, which pleased him-it made him see just how much he turned her on tonight.

He would have to force some heavy self-control after this, as they didn't have much more time. He didn't like to stop early on her-if their time was limited and it was either this or a quick session of sex with no foreplay...he took going down on her every time.

Thrusting his tongue inside of her for some more moments before sucking quickly at her again, she came with a loud gasp, her body shuddering. She bit her lip as she finished; no matter how many times he did this to her, it always felt more than wonderful.

As usual, he didn't pull away until she was finished and he had licked at her a bit more; even then he didn't leave. He stayed there, his head on her thigh, as one hand slid underneath and the other stroked her firm stomach. He had pushed his way onto the bed a bit more to lay with her.

She looked down at him; she looked extremely satisfied, and enjoyed how he looked awfully content as well-though he always did after this.

“Was this for interrupting your nap?” she chuckled.

He looked up at her, kissing her thigh. He just shrugged.

 _Stay as long as you want, Sergei,_ she thought as she stroked his soft hair while he nuzzled a bit at her thigh some more before leaning against it.

_We never know when you have to leave again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, Lili can take the incentive too sometimes, hehe. They aren't one of those sappy couples, and will never be...but hey, nothing too far off about a little wake-up blow-job now between them, eh? ;)
> 
> A bit of a potpourri chapter; some lemon, some plot, some odds and ends. And then more lemon because did you actually think Sergei was going to leave her after her little surprise?


	3. Chapter 3

Sergei's phone went off very early; earlier than it usually would.

He was sharing her bed this night; it had been two days since their last time together, and they decided that-since he had been sleeping in his own quarters more often than not-he'd steal away there. No one was the wiser, as usual.

He picked up the phone, answering in Russian; it was clearly from headquarters. He didn't bother leaving; Lili only understood a bit these days, though she took it as one of her languages. When he spoke technical or military details, she didn't quite pick it up yet. She understood bits, but she knew Sergei trusted her anyway, even if she had been fluent.

It was his enemies he didn't trust, but he still stayed. She watched him walk about naked; he did not seem to even think about it as he discussed whatever tactics he was.

She looked outside; it was light, though still cloudy. She remembered there would be storms today again. So far, it seemed they had them every couple of days, and she could already hear how ferocious the wind grew. She almost wanted to step out on the balcony, but she was naked and the wind might not treat her bathrobe very well. Having to explain why the two of them were in her apartment naked-if someone saw-wouldn't be something she would want to do before she had a _whole lot_ of coffee in her.

She rolled out of bed, not bothering getting her bathrobe yet. She stood looking out a window with her arms resting on it; there was no one who could see in at all, so she didn't much care.

Sergei hung up the phone and walked over to her. She looked up at him.

“Headquarters?” she asked.

“My contact who helped clean up the mess from the other night.”

She chuckled, imagining what sort of job that poor guy had. “What did he want?”

“He examined some of the things I found on them. They were planning a rather large exchange with some people here...though we don't know exactly who they were. There was no information on them about that.”

Lili thought for a moment. “Probably because they didn't want to be found if something went wrong.”

Sergei smiled. “You're perceptive. Yes. I'd imagine that was so.”

“They must not have trusted them much.”

“No honor among thieves,” he replied, snorting.

Lili knew what he meant; organized crime would work with other shady individuals to pragmatic ends-buying, selling, or whatnot-but they didn't trust each other. By the sound, the criminal organization here did not particularly trust a bunch of arms-thieving mercenaries.

“You knew the soldiers?”

He shook his head. “I may have seen one or two of the original, but they broke off when I was getting sent to the front lines. They pull from any military, though.”

“So...they basically tempt them. From anywhere.”

“Exactly. There's a lot of money in arms running. They entice a few-usually younger or more questionable of character. They smuggle out some arms, go AWOL, and before they know it are part of the syndicate. There are a few probably still hidden in the ranks.”

“And not just in Russia.”

“No, this is all around. We don't expect to defeat the whole thing. It is not in our path. We just deal with ones who are directly involved with us...which this group is.”

Lili always loved these longer discussions with him. She knew they didn't happen too often-but she was fine with that. She took them when they came. “So you...need to work on this, too?”

He nodded, giving her a smirk. “I've done more than this at one time.”

“Remember what I said.”

“I will. We will see. Soon I need to contact the man I know in Interpol.”

“Is he here?”

He shrugged. “I don't know.” He looked around, going to lay back in the bed, throwing the covers over his legs. Lili went to join him. “I haven't spoken to him in awhile. But we will see if we need to meet up. He's had his hands tied up with them for awhile. It's more Interpol's job than ours.”

“You're kept busy,” she said.

He nodded and shrugged. He played with a bit of hair on top of her head. She nuzzled into his hand...looking thoughtful for a moment.

“Did you ever expect anything like this?”

He smirked. “Never.”

“That first night...” she started. She was wondering if she could get him to spill a bit more now that he was talkative. “What...came over you?” It had taken her by surprise-their first kiss had almost led to something, she knew...and the next week, it did. He spent an exceedingly long time giving her oral sex; the two ran on an instinct they had never even explored.

Sergei shrugged, but he was smiling slightly. “I...just wanted to.”

Lili smiled. She saw him lean forward to kiss her; he did so deeply, his tongue beginning to probe around slowly. She moaned; he was incredibly intense in his actions at the moment. It was almost like he was thinking back to that first night.

She was sometimes surprised with how intense and passionate he could be when he wanted to. He was always caring toward her-but there were times that he acted with a certain...extra something toward her-something she could not describe-that actually took her off guard. Almost like he was grateful that his life turned out the way it did at that moment.

Half of his life had been brutal and violent, and the other half distant and sullen. The past year and a half had been something completely different. Oh, it was still brutal and violent...but now he had another aspect; one he was quite glad to let in. He would never be like 'other men' in a relationship...but that was exactly what she wanted.

It was a case of being very different-but rather fitting for one another.

It helped Lili with her own self-control, in any case. Naturally she had gotten used to getting what she wanted; her father did spoil her. Given he raised her alone most of her life-well, with Sebastian and the other servants, but still-he doted on her. And she could get spoiled. But she knew with this, she couldn't control the situation. The entire thing helped her temper that spoiled aspect...and as a result, it didn't show up so much these days. Her family had noticed, but simply thought it was a result of her growing up.

They would both be quite happy to make sure it stayed that way, as well.

Sergei pulled back from his deep, rather slow kisses with a questioning look. He smirked.

She smiled. “Morning?”

He leaned forward to run his tongue up her neck, nipping at the soft skin a bit before pulling back in answer.

He leaned in for another kiss; she was pleasantly surprised at this little change in course. They hadn't done anything in the morning in a very long time; usually it was a bit too risky, or they were far too busy to consider it. Things were a little more clear now; different schedules, different setup, and he was expected to be somewhere in her area more often. She was not complaining about this.

If someone were to look in on the outside on the times they were together, Lili mused how they would likely think they were a couple of sex maniacs; it wasn't that at all, though. It was that they had so little time together all told-at most they had a few months, but it could be as short as a few weeks-they wanted to take as much advantage of this as possible in terms of physical contact.

He pulled back slowly, Lili letting go of his tongue only reluctantly. He went back forward to suck at her lower lip; something he enjoyed doing and she enjoyed having done. Who was she kidding-she enjoyed anything physical with him. They had experimented a lot over their time and they had yet to find something that they didn't enjoy. They may have enjoyed some things more than others, but they found themselves rather open and adaptable. To be fair-they never went _too_ crazy. They simply weren't that type.

Lili settled back as she felt him kiss her stomach; she thought he would take his time, but it seemed that in just a few short moments he was licking between her legs. She squealed at the suddenness of it, though was in no way disappointed. If anything it gave it a little bit of an extra feeling of...something...when she didn't see it coming.

It was so sudden, in fact, that it only took a few minutes for him to get her off; though she could tell he was sort of striving more quickly for it. He teased her a little-brushing his tongue down to her opening for a few moments in between swirling it around her clit-but he was apparently quite into the idea of getting her off at this moment.

She came soon after; she wrapped her legs around him a bit to hold his head there as he finished licking her, pausing to kiss her thighs a few times before sitting up, a smirk on his face.

She sat up a moment to tease the tip of his member before preparing him to slide inside of her. She leaned back, wanting him on top this time; he supported himself over her easily as she slid her arms around him. He nipped at her as he liked to do, and it seemed to only take several thrusts before he came; it was to be expected. It was morning, he woke up hard, had looked at her naked, and then just got finished one of his favorite sexual activities with her; it was impressive that he held on as long as he did. Lili always liked the low moan that would escape his lips as he came. It was almost like a growl, and it was incredibly hot to her.

He sat up, pulling out and looking down at her.

“In the mood?” she smiled up at him, a content look on his face.

“Yes,” he answered, not bothering to mince words. He rarely did.

She chuckled. She sort of hoped he'd be in the mood for these morning quickies more often in the future.

Sergei licked his lips, still faintly tasting her and smirking a bit at that. “I need to get ready.”

“Same. See you later, then?” She stood as they slid their arms around each other. A feeling developed in the pit of her stomach at this. Naked standing there in the room, the central air running, and a pleasant ache in her midsection from their recent activities gave her a rather overwhelming feeling of comfort. When he held her like this from time to time, it gave her an extra feeling; a deeper one. She knew that he did not do this easily...and it meant a lot.

They separated, Sergei leaning in to kiss her once. He silently touched her cheek with his fingers before turning to go down the stairs to get ready.

Sometimes for her it, was he _didn't_ say that told her everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. They even had a more passionate moment in the morning. Nice and smutty of course...but a little unlike them. Hey, they have their moments. Couples might like morning quickies after all! 
> 
> For some reason this story has been forming a bit shorter chapters. It happens-I don't really hold a minimum or maximum to chapter size.


	4. Chapter 4

After her rather easy day, Lili began to head out to her limo; she was debating whether or not to go to a cafe or back to her home. She pulled out her umbrella, trying to prevent it from blowing in the sharp wind; it was very warm out still, but the weather was stormy and getting worse by the second. There were rumors of a hurricane-something she didn't often have to deal with usually in her own home, but she hadn't been to the east coast in a long time. Well, visiting for a few days, but not for any length of time.

She knew she was safe where she was, but it was still quite bleak outside.

Sergei was in the limo already. He had some work to do where her father was this day apparently, though she wasn't quite sure what was going on there. He did not look particularly concerned, angry...or anything, but this was normal for him. He nodded to her, keeping his form as always when they were in public. He shifted to give her more room; she always found it amusing how he was a bit cramped in the limo. It was roomy, yes, but his larger-than-average size and huge limbs made things a little difficult for him. He didn't seem to care, though she could tell he took it with humor.

She stared out the window, looking up. She then checked the weather on her phone.

“Bad storms coming. Very bad, apparently.”

He nodded. “Strong winds. We'll be fine where we are. I suspect this will...interrupt things. Especially with the sea.”

She knew what he was talking about; the crime ring would likely not be moving around weapons during near hurricane-force winds and thunder. “Any other news?”

“Not yet...but I suspect soon I will be getting a call.”

They didn't speak any more of it for now, as to not alarm anyone...though the small barrier that raised and lowered in between the front of the limo and the back was soundproof, mostly for on-the-road business meetings. It came in handy, but they decided to play it safe.

Lili watched the trees bending; some of them were dangerously low. Umbrellas were being turned inside out, and people were quickly hailing cabs and trying to get down into the subway. The clouds were quite dark that were rolling in, meaning the massive rain would be starting. It was still very warm out, though the wind cooled things down somewhat. She looked back at Sergei.

“I hope we get home soon.” The traffic was starting to grow a bit hectic.

He nodded.

The rode the rest of the way in silence, though it was their usual, comfortable silence. Lili looked out the window at the rain that started to fall; it was not too bad yet. They were about five minutes away from their building. Sergei fiddled with his phone a few times, finally leaning his head back to relax a few moments. He looked at peace, which she liked. She knew that he didn't get very much of it.

Her eyes wandered to his torso; in his tank top, she saw how many more scars he had gotten helping her and her family. There were quite a few. She remained luckier. She took hits, of course-she has had bloody noses, bloody lips...she suspected that maybe on the inside of her mouth she had a couple small ones but they were nearly impossible to see. Her arm still held the scars from the assassin she defeated. She suspected she knew what happened to her when she left Lars up to her fate, but she didn't think too hard about it. It was life or death, after all. The mess with the mole seemed like it was so far behind her that it could have been five years instead of eight months.

She felt Sergei touch her; they were just about at the building now, a block away. The rain had picked up, but they had a parking garage so it was no matter. She looked at the arm that had the bullet hole in it and remembered when he got that one; he didn't even think about them.

“Coffee,” she said, yawning. “This weather makes me tired.” The limo darkened as they pulled inside of the garage and went up several floors.

He smirked, shifting his huge body in the seat to open the door after they parked. She smiled at him as she got out; Alain, her loyal chauffeur, never even noticed.

_I have to stop being so risky with this. I give him eyes a bit too often..._

 

–

 

_Wow, they weren't kidding. This one is bad._

The two of them stared out the window as they waited for Sebastian to bring them dinner. Her father was dining with some colleagues this night, and would likely be at the hotel; it was now raining so hard that it seemed there started to be an inch or two of water on the street. She knew the limo would be fine, but she didn't think any of them would want to go out in this.

Sergei had his arms folded as he looked out; his hair was pulled back in its usual fashion, and he still wore his tight, gray tank top. He was fully clothed, to be sure; they both were. There was a lot of milling about right now, and given they had spent a couple of riskier days together they decided to take this easy. As per command, he was to stay nearby her. Dining together was no issue; they expected it.

“I wonder if places will close,” she said. It was practically raining sideways.

“Perhaps.”

“Have you ever had missions in weather like this?”

He chuckled. “Only colder.”

She shivered at that. As warm as the air was, the wind and the rain cooled things down considerably and gave her chills when she was outside. She was sure he did it without a word of complaint, though probably cursed to himself.

“Nothing much to do,” she said stretching.

He smirked at her. She grinned.

_Well, none of the servants are due to arrive for awhile..._

 

_\--_

 

Lili jumped at the crazed whistling sound outside; she went to peek out the window. It was even worse than before, the wind picking up even more. She stepped out to the closed balcony and the wind sounded like it was literally alive; screaming through the small holes in the thick plexiglass. She didn't open the windows out of fear they would be ripped off the hinges.

There were still cars around; how, she didn't know. They must have been large ones able to handle the water all around. The city wasn't flooded, per se; it did have good drainage, but it could not have been nice.

The darkness made it look even creepier outside; the thick clouds blocking out any potential moon or starlight made it feel downright foreboding on the balcony, even though she knew it was safe and secure inside.

She heard footsteps coming up the stairs when she walked in, closing the door. Sergei was there...and he seemed to be holding his long, army green waxed coat; his rain jacket. He had his combat boots on, as well; as if he was about to go out.

Lili blinked. “Feel like taking a natural shower today?”

He smirked. “I have to meet someone.”

“Is it the person you know about the...” she trailed off.

Sergei nodded. “He contacted me.”

“This late? In _this_ weather?”

“He's quite busy.”

Lili smirked a moment, folding her arms. “Is this classified?”

“Technically, no. I _am_ talking to outside help.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are...”

“Am I sure? Well, I did say I'd help with resources if you needed.” She chuckled. “Besides, you should stick with me.”

He smirked back at her. “I suppose I should.”

“Can you drive in this?”

He nodded. He had driven in much worse.

“The jeep, I take it?”

“Yes.”

Lili smiled, feeling like she was going on a little adventure. Truth be told, she sort of started to like the adventure stuff. While she was glad to be done with corporate intrigue and threats on her family's life-which she expected might come up again at some point-she was sort of starting to almost miss having a bit of excitement in her life. Ever since the craziness of nine months ago, life had been pretty normal.

She promised herself to be careful, though...and not to get _too_ curious.

“I'll get my coat.” She went to the other room and selected one of her more casual looking rain jackets. She dressed comfortably; jeans, her more water-repellent boots, and a tight, sleeveless shirt. She did not get overly showy with her body, but did enjoy to show it off a little...and she knew Sergei appreciated it. She liked the look he would get on his face.

He smiled at her as she walked out. She paused to give him a light kiss on the mouth before she opened the door. He returned it, adding a little nip to her lower lip...almost telling her there might be more later tonight.

They went quietly down to the garage to where he kept his large jeep. She had ridden in it many times; she sort of liked it. He was a good driver, and the thing was pretty comfortable, though some of the bumpiest roads could get a little jarring. It likely wouldn't have that problem here-it was the water they had to drive through.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she climbed in, settling back after adjusting the seat.

“A bar on the Lower East Side it says.” He proceeded to punch in the coordinates.

Lili blinked. “A dive?” She wrinkled her nose. She hadn't been to a place like that in...well...forever? Had she _ever_ been in a legitimate dive bar?

He chuckled. “It's better to stay out of the way. It's a regular place for him.”

“So...is this the...guy from Interpol?”

He nodded. “You've probably seen him in the tournament.”

“Hmm...wait...it's...” She remembered a cop. Handsome fellow, rather calm. She never talked to him though. “I guess I'll find out.”

Sergei started the jeep, shifting it into gear and switching the lights on. “You'll remember.”

They drove through the large parking lot, going slowly down the spiral driveway that connected the floors. Lili reckoned they were several up; there were a lot of cars. These places somehow always gave her the creeps at night; and the sound of the wind that blew through the open slots in the concrete walls made it even moreso.

When they pulled out into the street, she could feel the resistance of the vehicle against the water, but Sergei switched the all-wheel-drive into play and they were just fine. The wipers worked furiously to keep the torrential downpour off the windshield, and she felt bad for the smaller cars out there. They were up high enough that no water got in, though to be fair it was only a couple of inches deep at worst. It was still surprising, though.

Some smaller trees had been uprooted; the larger ones were bending, though being in the city, trees were fairly sparse, save the parks. She shuddered to think what they would look like after this.

She snorted laughter. “Your contact should have picked better weather. What _is_ it with your contacts wanting us to go out in terrible weather?” She remembered Lars taking them to the snowy place.

“You could have stayed home,” he smirked at her.

She gave him a glare-not angry at all-and went back to looking out the window, her own little smile on her face.

He leaned over after awhile and turned on some music; it was kept low so they could chat if necessary. Lili blinked at the driving industrial-style music that came from the speakers. She was very broad in her tastes and did like the music...but she was surprised Sergei did.

“You listen to this?”

He nodded. “Depends on my mood.”

She sat back, smiling. She liked it, and she liked finding out yet more things about him. They still learned about each other, even after a year and a half...a bit more, now.

It took awhile to reach the dive bar, as the weather was not helping matters. Sergei drove carefully; they were more worried about other drivers, really...even if the practically armored jeep would have won any vehicle fights with a normal car. They didn't want to hurt anyone.

They parked out back, and braced themselves to make a run for it. Their boots were thankfully waterproof, though Lili suspected her pant legs might get a bit soggy.

_I'll ask again, why do Sergei's contacts meet at the most out of the way places..._

They made it rather easily, but they got a little wet even though they were completely covered in their raincoats. They had only been exposed to the rain for literal seconds. Lili actually felt bad for anyone stuck in it.

The bar itself was on the second floor, to reach it one would go up a narrow set of stairs. It wasn't the worst place, to be fair; it was more out of the way, sort of dark and dingy...but it wasn't infested with trouble. If anything, it seemed quiet...no small wonder given the conditions outside. Lili was surprised to see even a couple of other people and wondered why they didn't close.

The bartender-a middle aged man with a mustache-smiled at them and chuckled. He looked Sergei up and down, nodding.

“You must be...”

Sergei nodded in silence.

“He's in the back. There are drinks back there.”

Lili blinked. “You're still open?”

The bartender laughed. “I've got a tiny car. I'm not driving home in this. I can sleep in the back room if need be.”

The bar itself had no windows; it was sort of located in the middle of the building. She had no idea what other sorts of places were in this building-apartments, storage rooms...she had no idea. It wasn't exactly her type of establishment. Sergei looked down at her, seeing her expression. It was not one of disgust or anything; it was simply amused.

He smirked. “It's not so bad. The coffee is strong, I hear.”

“I'll need it.”

They walked to the back, past one fellow who was eating some sort of dish of something...bar cuisine, by the look. There was a large booth with a man sitting at it; and he was indeed very familiar. Lili snapped her fingers absently as the name came to her.

_Lei. Lei Wulong. That was him. I had seen him around...he was a cop, I know...Sergei...how?_

Lei looked up at the sound, smiling. Lili had to say he was a handsome man; long, black hair tied back loosely, clean shaven face, and looked no older than thirty on a bad day. She knew he had to be close to fifty, though-he had taken part in the _second_ King of Iron Fist tournament.

He was dressed casually, in a long-sleeve cotton shirt, a leather jacket worn open, a pair of jeans and black sneakers. Despite it being summer, the storm had blown in such a wind that it felt much cooler than it should have been. His raincoat was hanging on a hook off to the side, and he had a holster under his arm with his service weapon. Lili could not tell the make from this angle, though Sergei had taught her about many types of handguns.

In front of him sat a cup of coffee and a plate of some sort of pie.

“Sergei,” he said.

Sergei smirked. “Pleasure.”

“You brought a friend?”

“My charge.”

“You're the Rochefort lady.” He stood, bowing politely in greeting. She knew he was Chinese, but he did not have much of an accent at all when he spoke. _Must be from working internationally for so long._

 _Lady. I'm no longer the Rochefort girl._ This somehow amused her-and puffed her up a bit. She was almost twenty now, after all.

“Yes.” She smiled. “He said this wasn't terribly secret. Since he's my bodyguard...”

“I understand. He told me you know some things. It's probably for the best.”

The two sat down around the table, one of the waiters-a tired looking middle aged man who looked like he wanted to go home but probably couldn't at the moment-took orders for coffee and whatever else they wanted. Lili hadn't eaten food from a bar like this in ages. She wondered if she _ever_ had, truth be told.

Sergei lit a cigarette, blowing out a stream of smoke. “What do you know?” he began.

Lei knew Sergei was never one to waste time. “Not much yet, truth be told.” He sipped his coffee. “We thought they might be Mafia related at first, but the signs aren't pointing there. We aren't ruling it out...but for now that trail is a bit cold.”

“The men I faced seemed...ordinary, truth be told. Hired thugs, at best.”

Lei looked thoughtful. “They could be going through other outlets.”

Lili just listened in, nodding to the man who brought the coffee and food. The appetizers looked fairly good, so she had gotten a mixed plate of them. Sergei took his own coffee and food.

Mozzarella sticks may have been a little low class, but she _did_ find them tasty. _Maybe I ought to enjoy some of this sort of stuff every now and then._

Sergei took a drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out before moving his plate in front of him. He looked deep in thought. “Do you think they're connected with the Zaibatsu? Or the G-Corporation?”

“Hard to say. I don't doubt they've dealt with them both before in the past-they deal with anyone, after all.”

“While I cannot give all of the information...” Sergei started. “We seem to think that this particular incident involves larger scale arms. Much more dangerous.”

Lei nodded. “We suspected as much. I'm guessing that's why you guys were on it. Can you say...what went missing?”

Sergei nodded once. “Heavier arms. It was enough for my superiors to get in touch with me here, when I am out on another paid job.” He took a drink of coffee and a bite of the greasy bar food. He was enjoying it, truth be told; he enjoyed the fine cuisine he ate at the manor, but now and then he was happy to have something a bit more low key.

“That worries me.”

Lili looked up. “You don't think they have technology to do anything really bad, do you?”

“Well, it's not them we're worried about. All they do is deal with the arms.”

She nodded slowly. “It's who they deal with. You don't know who they are or what they're up to.”

“Exactly,” Lei smirked. “I understand you are no stranger to things like this.”

“I sort of wish I still was. But...it's not so bad.”

Sergei smiled at her. “I wouldn't worry.” He did, of course, get concerned sometimes...but it was natural, given his situation. She still worried about him from time to time, after all.

She drank more coffee. It was pretty good, given where they were at. She pulled her light shirt around herself, listening to the sheets of rain hit the side of the building. It was muffled from where they were, but it really did give the place an eerie feel to it. “Don't you have undercover people?”

“We do. We haven't gone that far, yet.” Lei sighed. “We may have to. It's always dangerous, undercover in organized crime. What they do to people they catch...”

Lili shuddered. She could imagine.

“Granted, it's rare. Still...not something we do without good reason.” He sipped more coffee, waving the waiter over for some more. “This might be good reason, though.”

Sergei looked deeper in thought. Lili blinked...knowing what he was thinking, or at least having a good idea of it.

“You aren't...”

He smirked.

Lei blinked. “No offense meant here, Sergei...but you look a bit... _obvious_.”

Lili chuckled. “I was going to say the same thing.” It wasn't that she was super worried about him; there was a _little_ concern, of course...if they tried to do the same stuff they did to the others they caught, she knew Sergei would smash their heads in. 

“They deal with former members of our military. If anything, this will be beneficial to us both.” He drank his coffee-which the waiter had refilled-smoking another cigarette.

“I think I know what you're saying, now.” Lei thought.

“I would contact my superiors about it.”

Lili suddenly found herself getting a bit...excited. After the mess the mole almost made of their lives, she thought she'd have been happy to never see anything like that again...but this was different.

_Did I actually start liking this adventurous stuff? I really shouldn't get involved..._

She startled at the sound of the rain hitting the building. It sounded like they were next to a waterfall...and there was a room between them and the outside.

“I...think we ought to stick around her for awhile more.” she chuckled. “I like being dry.”

Sergei smirked. “I don't mind.”

Lei laughed. “My car is probably going to need to be dried out tomorrow...if the rain lets up, that is.”

“If I can ask...” Lili started. “How do you two...”

“Sergei here helped me out during the big mess a few years ago.” Lei sipped his coffee. "He helped me a lot."

He nodded silently. “We don't see very often, but we give a hand when needed.”

Lili smiled. She was surprised how comfortable she felt here; the three chatted a bit more, though nothing much more on the job. _Sergei's more helpful than he puts on...though it seems only to be to people who he 'takes' to. There doesn't seem to be too many of them._

_I'm glad I'm one of them._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes...we seem to have our next cameo. Ever since I had seen that mission, it fit to me. While I don't see them 'buddies' like he and Lars are, I see them as 'working partners' in a sense, willing to pitch the other a hand in a hairy situation perhaps. This story was a bit heavier on the exposition, but building up later stuff is fun, I admit. 
> 
> Anyway once again, thanks for reading! Happy to have the 2nd arc underway now in full. I won't know about the 3rd story-we're heading toward the holidays and that naturally snips available time. We'll see though! I'll keep people posted on my tumblr(if you want to check it out, it's http://fenris30.tumblr.com/ ), about updates, news, and the like in regards to the series!

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, fanfic world building can be difficult-well, not building so much as 'working with the world and adjusting things that aren't said.' I want to keep things in the Tekkenverse, but at the same time work with it. I can picture in the world as they know it, large cities have an almost cyberpunk-like corporate presence, where they lay down most of the laws and the rules. 
> 
> Let's face it, criminal syndicates are likewise quite cyberpunk.


End file.
